Review of 17 Again (2009) by Filmgrinder S — 12 Nov 2011

This was better than I expected. It was advertised as a "body swap" comedy, but it's not, i.e. there's only one character who changes age. Zac Efron does a good job of playing someone with a lot more life experience; it may help that he was older than 17 when he filmed this.

Some of the logic is a bit odd. For instance, Mike walks out of the basketball game (at 17) because he's discovered that his girlfriend is pregnant. However, if he wants to be a responsible father than wouldn't a college education (via a sports scholarship) and a well-paying job be a good thing from his family's point of view?

Ned (the adult best friend) was entertaining, but I think his "courting" crossed the line into harrassment, and it was just blind luck that the principal happened to share his interests. Still, anything that mocks the PUA ("Pick-Up Artist") techniques has to be worthwhile.

This film also gets credit for showing that righteous anger isn't enough to win a fight. Thugs who get into fights on a regular basis are probably going to get better with practice, so they'll have an advantage over people who are more peaceful. It's best to resolve problems a different way, like Mike did in the canteen.